Tour Scotland on a small group vacation of my Scottish homeland. Welcome to my Tour Scotland web pages. On this Scottish blog I will post information and videos about Scotland and my Small Group Tours of Scotland, History of Scotland, Scottish Humor, Scottish Cookery, Genealogy of Scotland, Music of Scotland, Photographs of Scotland, and much more. Please share your own experiences of Scotland on this site which I update daily. Please feel free to contact me at: sandystevenson@thefreesite.com

Rent A Cottage In Scotland

Sunday, June 28, 2009

Tour Scotland Philiphaugh Holiday Cottage. Peace and privacy without isolation are the features of this architect-designed converted stable block in the lovely Border countryside near Ettrick Water. Set in the grounds of the owners’ house, but separated from it by a stretch of woodland, it has its own small garden area and terrace. There are delightful scenic walks straight from the door of the holiday cottage, and despite its tranquil position, it is only 200 yards from an excellent award-winning hotel (offering gourmet restaurant and bar meals) and just a half-mile stroll from the small Border town of Selkirk. Here there are inns, restaurants, numerous gift and craft shops, a cashmere woollen mill outlet and coffee shop, a salmon viewing centre and the world famous Baxters food shop and restaurant. The town also has two museums, a golf course, tennis courts and a swimming-pool; a sports centre, museum and art gallery can be found at Hawick, 12 miles away.

Nearby Kelso boasts a now-ruined abbey, once one of the richest and most powerful in southern Scotland, as well as an elegant square flanked by a splendid expanse of three-storey 18th and 19th-century buildings. Fly fishing (by permit) is available on the local Ettrick river. Conveniently close to Bowhill, home of the Duke of Buccleuch and open to the public, with a riding school/pony trekking centre and an exceptionally good adventure playground for children. The wooded hills of Bowhill Country Park adjoining Bowhill House are crisscrossed by scenic footpaths and cycle trails: mountain bikes can be hired from the visitor centre. The surrounding area offers splendid touring in the unspoilt Borders countryside, with a wealth of historic towns, battle sites and castles to visit. Glentress and Innerleithen, which have a nationwide reputation for some of the best mountain biking in Britain, are only 20 minutes away. The cottage itself is close to the Southern Upland Way, Scotland’s longest walk, stretching from Portpatrick in the west to the North Sea at Cockburnspath. The cultural attractions and fine shopping in Edinburgh are just 40 miles away (a comfortable day-trip), as are the beaches of Berwick and its nearby shoreline.